El Pasoans Should Avoid The Ruidoso Area As Wildfire Burns On
Three Rivers Fire
According to forestry officials, the fire broke out on Monday near the Three Rivers Campground, spreading almost to Ski Apache and into the Big Bonito area. Overnight into Tuesday, the fire doubled in size, spreading across 12,000 acres onto Mescalero Apache Tribal Land.
Last night the crew got some help thanks to Mother Nature as snow and rain fell in the area and are expecting more of the same conditions throughout today.
Over 200 crew personnel have been onsite attempting to extinguish the flames and are set to receive additional resources to help combat the fire.
Authorities said Tuesday night that the blaze had expanded from 6,100 acres to approximately 12,000 acres.
The fire is now 5% contained and some evacuation orders were lifted in areas impacted by the fire.
However, officials warned that the situation would be fluid based on both fire and activity levels and cautioned residents to remain vigilant. Please be aware that while we are lifting these restrictions right now, these may change in the future due to fire activity, Lincoln National Forest Public Affairs Officer Laura Rabon told reporters earlier this week. We are encouraging residents to stay ready to evacuate.
There are no reported injuries in the fire and no structures have burned.